Tuesday, June 28, 2016

G-Dragon, 2NE1, Rihanna, Rita Ora... just a few clients of Korean designer Kathleen Kye. Every year, Shu Uemura puts out a fabulous limited edition collection (or two) made in collaboration with a fashion designer. This summer, it's Kathleen Kye. She's known for her high fashion streetwear characterized by fresh, vivid, graphic and forward-looking designs. And it totally shows.

The Kye for Shu Collection is described as "kool, kreative and kommunicative...using witty designs to showcase cutting edge Asian beauty" and very clearly inspired by K-BeautyIt's a full collection of 24 products including coloured brows, cushion foundation and blush, cleansing oils and even haircare.

Monday, June 27, 2016

Urban Bush Babes is a natural hair, fashion, health, lifestyle, culture and arts website run by two friends, Cipriana Quann. and Nikisha Brunson. Per the website, an Urban Bush Babe is one who "goes beyond the labels and steps outside of the box, they are comfortable in their own skin and embrace others."

Before learning about the Urban Bush Babes July Formula X Color Curators Collection ($12.50 CAD each, exclusively at Sephora), I had not come across Urban Bush Babes before. And let me tell you... it was love at first scroll. It's the epitome of big hair, don't care, twinning, and stunning editorial fashion photos. This particular collection is curated by Cipriana and her twin sister TK Quann.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

The Yves Saint Laurent Vinyl Couture Mascara ($39 CAD) is meant to be a revolutionary formula, intense and super shiny giving length, curl and saturated colour to the lashes. I'm wary of high-end mascaras but I was particularly curious about this one, as it looks pretty darn amazing on SamanthaJaneYT.

Friday, June 24, 2016

It was love at first smell. I've had my eye on the Tony Moly Peach Hand Cream ($8.99 CAD at Echoo.ca, $14 CAD at Urban Outfitters) since spotting it for the first time in a Korean beauty shop in San Francisco last year. Thanks to Echoo.ca, I've finally got it in my possession and need to take a few moments to rave.

TGIF, Teenage Dream, Waking Up In Vegas, California Girls...Huge Katy Perry fan right here. Well... back in high school. But I most of the words to her biggest hits. So, when CoverGirl and Katy Perry announced a collab, I was stoked!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

The Greek island of Crete could be a country all on its own. It's the most populated island and it's got mountain ranges, valleys, beaches, gorges, lakes and rivers. I spent 3 days in Crete, with Air BnB accommodations in the second largest city of Chania.

Echoo.ca is an importer of Korean beauty and skincare items to Canada! This is my first post in collaboration with Echoo Beauty, which means that I'll be able to introduce and feature more Korean beauty on the blog.

Echoo Beauty aims to provide customers with the best online shopping experience with quality products, fast delivery and first class customer services, as well as competitive pricing with local cosmetics retailers.

Monday, June 20, 2016

Oh, Santorini... the island of clean white buildings with blue roofs and beautiful sunsets. Santorini is the southern most island of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. It's shaped like a crescent, as it was once a volcano with a centre that has since collapsed into the ocean, which makes for some interesting amazing views.

I spent 2 days in Santorini, which seemed a little short but I would spend 3 days at most. Santorini was the smallest and most topographically beautiful of the islands that I visited. I can see why people fall in love. However, it was also the most touristy, as even though we travelled there during off-season there were crowds of people at the most popular and well-known sights. Touristy-ness aside, here's what I got up to in Santorini!

The OPI nail polish posts are getting tired, so here's some summer newness from Ceramic Glaze - the Botanical Oasis Collection($11 each, exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart). Ceramic Glaze = China Glaze, which means that the polishes are formulated with a similar technology to clay ceramics where adhesives and plasticizers harden the nails and give a "glazed finish".

I've tried lots of Ceramic Glaze polishes in the past and my opinion hasn't really changed. There's a ton of colours and finishes, the polishes dry quickly, and they last a good 4+ days on my nails (which is more than I can say for most polishes.

Onto the summer colours! The limited edition Botanical Oasis Collection features oceanic brights and a few lighter what I'd call garden party colours like a nude and sheer pearl.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

A little bit of a tangent from the usual beauty chatter but I promised I would post about my trip to Greece. I did a little island hopping with my parents from Santorini to Crete to Rhodes and then stayed a bit in he mainland capital city of Athens for two weeks of April. I'm going to say it was one heck of a time, but it's easier if I just show you!

On top of Areopagus (Mars Hill) in Athens, Greece

This of first part of a 5 part series. Today, all the nitty gritty details.

Why did you go to Greece? History, culture, hiking, beaches, food, food, food. If you like any combination of the aforementioned things, you should probably head to Greece ASAP.

When did you go? Saturday, April 9th to Sunday, April 24th, which is mid-season. On the islands, it was pretty quite but as expected, Athens was 24/7 busy. High season for travellers is approximately Greek Easter (early May) to mid-October. The weather was a perfect 20C to 25C during the day, dropping down to 15C in the night... and not humid at all!

How did you get there?

TORONTO TO GREECE --> I took Mid-April is just before Greece's busy season, so there weren't any direct flights from Toronto to Athens. Turkish Airlines had a seat sale from Toronto with a stopover in Istanbul to several European destinations. The flight to Athens, Greece around ~$700 per person. Turkish Airlines probably had the best economy in-flight service I've ever experienced - generous and tasty portions of food (including Turkish delight!), and a huge selection of relatively new movies and TV shows. Highly recommend.

Saturday, June 18, 2016

While my skin is pretty normal in the Winter/Fall months, summer sweat and sunshine does this weird thing to my skin and makes it all crazy and no fun. Thank goodness for the cleansers of the world.

This one in particular, the Dermalogica Clear Start Breakout Clearing Foaming Wash ($27.50) is particularly noteworthy. According to Dermalogica, breakouts are the #1 skincare concern for young adults.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Every May, Mary Kay releases a Mary Kay Beauty that Counts lip product. This year, for every sale of the limited edition Mary Kay Beauty That Counts Hearts Together Lipstick ($18), $1 will be donated to support the Look Good Feel Better and to help end violence against women through community outreach programs.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

It's been a while, eh? I've been hoarding empty canisters of liquids and creams in my room at my parents' house and I finally decided to recycle some of it. Decluttering is good for the soul...

Instead of my usual emoji rating scale, I've decided that there's so much stuff here that I need to be decisive and say yes or no. Anything with a ✔ is a YES (would purchase again) and everything else is a no.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Quo Cosmetics is a Canadian drugstore brand available exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart. This year, Quo launched a a ton of new beauty products for it's 16th year in existence.

Lately, I've been loving a simple, bright eye makeup look. A wash of light colour over the lids, winged liner, and a brightener on the inner corners/waterline/browbone. All three of the products I've used to achieve the look are from Quo!

Monday, June 13, 2016

Now that the weather is (finally) warming up, it's time for some warmer weather nail polishes. The OPI Retro Summer Collection ($12.50 CAD each) is that collection. Warm, washed out colours with a few pops. Yes, I've got swatches for you!

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Bread isn't good for me. But I love bread. So how I make a sandwich healthier? USE ONE SLICE OF BREAD INSTEAD OF TWO. In fancier words, make an open faced sandwich. It's magic, really.

To be honest, most lunch meat tastes pretty icky anyways, so as a quasi-vegetarian (which is a whole other blog post in itself) I thought I'd whip up a sandwich that I'd actually want to eat. I must have read somewhere that sweet potato and mushroom would be a good combination... it totally works. The earthiness of the mushrooms paired with the sweetness of the potato - it's kind of like Thanksgiving on a piece of bread.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Too Faced, Clinique, Dior, OCC, Benefit, etc. All brands for which I have several products that I am very fond of. Hype, exaggerated claims, and all that good stuff build up some high expectations. Just like life, not all beauty brands and their products are made perfect and that's okay!

Keep in mind that just because these things didn't work for me doesn't mean they'll work the same for you.

Friday, June 10, 2016

At $24 for a 6-pan eyeshadow palette, you're probably venturing out of the drugstore and into Sephora. The Quo True Hues Eye Shadow Palette in Simple Pleasures ($24), at a glance, might seem pricey for what it is but look a little closer and you'll see that the value is there.

Quo True Hues Eye Shadow Palette in Simple Pleasures - light taupe all over the lid, coral in the crease, purple and black in the outer corner.

The Quo Cosmetics True Hues Eye Shadow Palette in Simple Pleasures comes with six eyeshadows and a dual-ended brush. The eyeshadow pans are HUGE. The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows are 2.5 grams (and $25 each), while the True Hues Eye Shadows are 2.6 grams (at $4 each). Albeit, the quality of the product is not quite the same. The True Hues Eye Shadows are fairly soft and blendable but generally sheer, requiring several layers for full colour, and very powdery.

Thursday, June 9, 2016

I'd never wear nautical-themed clothing. But nautical makeup packaging... super cute! Same goes for neon - don't love neon clothing but I'm down to put it on my nails. The Quo Summer 2016 Collection includes both the nautical and the neon.

Way back in May... to celebrate the grand opening of the NYX store in the Toronto Eaton Centre, NYX held a PROM party. Prom 2.0 - better food, makeup stations, an actual DJ, an open bar, and a less cupcake-like dress... basically a chance to re-do prom after my awkward high school years.

I didn't take too many photos this time around (mostly photo booth ones) because I was too busy stuffing my face with mac and cheese balls but here's a few tidbits of my night!

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

The Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer ($18) has been compared as a dupe to the likes of NARS, Urban Decay and BareMinerals. Sephora says that the concealer is helps to improve the texture of the skin while providing buildable lightweight coverage.

Apparently the Sephora Collection Bright Future Gel Serum Concealers have the largest range of shades available at Sephora. There are 20. 10.5 Blondie doesn't seem to be available on the website (the shades may have gotten a revamp). 10.5 Blondie is a warm, medium skintone shade that fits my spring summer tanned complexion to a T. My best guess is that 10.5 is equivalent to what is 08 Palmier.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Father's Day is fast approaching. I feel like guys in general (boyfriends, dads, brothers, etc.) are hard to shop for. Generally speaking, I don't share the same interests with the men in my life. And if I do they're pricey hobbies like tech and photography.

LUSH to the rescue.

The LUSH Father's Day range is so awesome that I'd use most of the products myself. There's a good mix of bath products, skincare and hair....all things that a dad needs.

Monday, June 6, 2016

Trust Fund Beauty is proof that a beauty brand can be ethical and have a sense of humour at the same time! Trust Fund Beauty nail polishes are 10-free, vegan and cruelty-free.

In addition to the non-toxic approach of the brand, my favourite things about Trust Fund Beauty are (1) the minimalist packaging and (2) the unapologetic names which include but are not limited to Resting Bitch Face, Bye Felicia, Money Buys Happiness and Magical AF.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

The Sephora Collection Colorful Eyeshadows ($13) are a formulation that caught me by surprise.

There are 110 shades of the Sephora Collection Colorful Eyeshadows available. Very impressive. Browsing website, there are 3 finishes - matte, shimmer and glitter. They're housed in a simple plastic pot. Each pot has small indent beside the shadow pan and the indent can be used to easily depot the shadow into a magnetic palette.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Coming this Summer 2016... The Make Up For Ever Excessive Lash Mascara. It's another one of those exclusive sneak peeks that I received at Generation Beauty Toronto. According to Make Up For Ever, the Excessive Lash creates long lasting panoramic volume that fans out for a truly dramatic eye opening effect.

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